


Sick of Losing Soulmates

by caramelaire



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: 20 Strangers kissing social experiment, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst and Feels, Best Friends Squad, Bow Is a Good Friend (She-Ra), F/F, F/M, Glimbow, Glimbow Centric, Glimbow Week 2020, Glimbow-centric, Making Out, Mutual Pining, Tumblr: Glimbow Week, Yeah you read that right
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:01:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26250832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caramelaire/pseuds/caramelaire
Summary: [for Glimbow Week 2020 countdown prompt: Soulmate AU]The soulmate AU where Bow and Glimmer have dreams about another life where they loved someone they can’t even remember. Until Adora invites/Catra forces them to participate in a social experiment where they have to kiss a stranger. Except... why did it feel like they knew each other from somewhere?
Relationships: Adora & Bow (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 89
Collections: Glimbow Week 2020 countdown collection





	1. Chapter 1

Some days, Bow would have these strange dreams. It was never anything clear or specific. He would remember dreaming of a castle with pastel-coloured walls and a bed that floated up near the ceiling. Sometimes, he would be in a mystical woods where the trees seem to whisper.

He’d remember smelling a sweet, vanilla scent that almost always came with the glittering sound of laughter that made his heart swell. It sounded foreign and yet so familiar to him. Like he has heard it for a thousand times and never before.

He’d remember someone warm and soft always pressed against him. Soft lips that tasted like chocolates and sugar. 

Some days, he’d dream that he was in bed with them, gently caressing pink strands of hair that seemed to sparkle under the soft sunlight seeping through the window. It was a weird shade to have as a hair colour but oddly enough he loves it.

Sometimes, he’d lean down to kiss them. On the lips, on the tip of their nose, on the cheek and the forehead. 

He’d get glimpses of memories that were not his. Quiet mornings watching children laughing with a warm hand intertwined in his and a cup of hot chocolate in the other. 

Moonlit strolls arm-in-arm with a giggling presence beside him. A weight on his back as he ran through a beach. A head on his shoulder as he tinkered with some machinery. A hand over his heart at all times, keeping him steady.

He’d never known what they looked like though. Every time he tried to get a glimpse, he would suddenly wake up, and every time it felt like he was ripped away from a life that he loved.

Bow would wake up alone with the almost unbearable feeling that something in his life was missing. That he had lost _something_. He just didn’t know what.

Some memories of the dream would vanish immediately the moment he opened his eyes, but the emotions remained. The nostalgia, happiness, contentment, and… something that felt so much like _love_.

He’d stare so long at the space in his bed and feel in his bones how he had positioned himself in his sleep as if he was holding someone in his arms. 

But there were only him and the cold sheets of his bed.

Some days, the surge of loneliness would be enough to make him tear up, gentle tears running down his cheeks to relieve the definite tightness in his chest. After a while, the effect of the dream would wear off and he’d feel silly. And he’d go about his day.

Today was one of those days. 

Except, it was a little bit different.

Today he dreamt that person had talked, and her voice was as sugar-coated and tingly as her laughter had been.

 _I love you. I love you_.

She had said, and at his waking moment, Bow’s heart yearned so much it ached, because how could he feel the same thing for a phantom person he couldn’t even picture?

How could he be in love with someone that was only in his imagination?

That morning, Bow was hunched over in his dorm room, feeling like something was definitely wrong with him. He took one look at the clock beside his bed and was almost relieved the hollow feeling in his chest was immediately replaced with panic.

_7:30?!_

“Oh god, I slept in,” Bow jumped to his feet. Usually one to wake up at the break of dawn to take a jog, 7 in the morning was _too_ late for him. He had stayed in that dream too long. 

Bow grabbed his phone and saw a message from Adora.

_Yo, can you get here an hour earlier? We need to set-up some of the equipment. Y’know Catra and I are hopeless with this stuff. Help your favourite classmates, pretty please?_

The text read. It had been sent an hour ago; normally too early for Adora, but it was the day of her and Catra’s social experiment after all. The social experiment Bow had volunteered to participate in. 

Bow dialled her number and waited for her to pick up. 

“Hey, Adora. Just read your message. Sorry, I slept in,” Bow said in a hurry, walking back and forth in his room as he gathered everything he needed for a shower. 

“No biggie. I realized earlier that I texted way too early, but then I remembered you took jogs around campus during that godforsaken hour,” Adora said over the phone. A racket was going on in the background. “Hey! Those don’t go there!”

Yellow crop top sweater and sweatpants, check. Rainbow converse, check. Bow rummaged through his closet and then paused.

“Hey, there isn’t, like, a dress code or something, right?”

Adora snorted. “No, but we’ll post this on youtube so you might want to look good.”

“I always look good,” Bow smirked, taking out his favourite denim jacket that had heart patches all over it and a wool collar. He looked outside his window. Yeah, it looked like it was about to rain. 

Adora laughed, mumbling, “He says he always looks good,” and then laughed louder. “Catra disagrees. She says you looked horrible when Dean Micah had you present to the whole class that one time.”

Bow groaned, remembering how their history professor had him spearhead the class a few weeks ago. He had been a ball of sleep-deprived nerves back then. 

“Why do you insist on bringing _that_ up?”

Catra’s voice suddenly popped in. “That’s what you get for being the teacher’s favourite.”

Bow rolled his eyes. For some reason, the eccentric and jolly man had taken a liking to Bow. He thinks it’s because he’s the only one in class who genuinely laughs at the professor’s dad jokes and puns. But of course, Bow would get all of those history jokes, his parents owned and managed a freaking museum! 

Sometimes, Bow still couldn’t believe that the humble professor was the husband of the CEO of Bright Moon, the country’s most famous fashion brand and entertainment company. Bow had always dreamt of working at their film studio.

Maybe being in good terms with the CEO’s husband wasn’t a bad thing. He might get a good word in if Bow keeps laughing at his puns. In his defence, Bow genuinely thought they were funny. Not as good as his dads’ though.

“When are you going to get here? Everything’s falling apart!”

As if on cue, another crash and a series of shouts followed.

Bow laughed. “Getting into the shower now, I’ll be there in 30!”  
  


&  
  


_WAKE THE FUCK UP! WAKE THE FUCK UP! YOU’RE LATE, STUPID!_

“Aaahh!!!” Glimmer jolted up from where she was laid on her bed, arms flying everywhere as she made sense of the blanket that was wrapped around her like a vice. She took a wrong turn and felt the mattress disappear from under her until her shoulder met with the cold hard floor.

“ _Ugh_ ,” she groaned, her arm throbbing from the impact. “Fucking heeeeellll.”

_WAKE THE FUCK UP! WAKE THE FUCK UP! YOU’RE LATE, STUPID!_

Her alarm was still going on. Glimmer gritted her teeth together as Catra’s annoying voice blasted through the speakers of her phone. She and Adora must've changed it last night when they _attempted_ to have an all-nighter to study. They all knew how _that_ ended.

It ended with Glimmer walking out of their dorm room after her two best friends began to make out. They had done nothing productive the night prior, and she decided she had enough of the third-wheeling. Her bed was waiting for her.

The alarm snoozed itself after a while. In the silence that followed the morning chaos, Glimmer could finally hear the loud pounding of her heartbeat against her eardrums and notice the wetness in her eyes as she stared at the ceiling.

She softly groaned, rubbing her fingers over her eyelids to get rid of the tears. _Not again. What the fuck is my problem?_

Some days, Glimmer would have these… really sad dreams. They weren’t anything particularly tragic or nightmarish, not that she remembered much. But after waking up from them, she would always have tears in her eyes, yearning for something that she didn’t even know _what!_

It always made her feel so shitty, and she was already _not_ a morning person.

All she would remember from them were strong arms wrapped around her; sometimes cuddled up on a soft bed or walking hand-in-hand through this huge, gigantic hallway that looked ethereal.

She’d hear this rumbling laughter that held so much joy that Glimmer couldn’t help but spare one herself.

The scent of fresh mint, mixed with the musk of leather and the sweet, calming accents of cedarwood. It smelled like comfort, and safety, and… childhood, oddly. She didn’t know how else to explain it.

Glimmer would get glimpses of memories. Short ones that were definitely not her own, like arrows with letters hitting targets on the walls, or cooking and eating cake in a grand-looking kitchen, giggles, soft kisses against her forehead, on her nose, on her cheeks.

One time she dreamed of what looked like a grand wedding. Flowers, pink clouds and sparkles everywhere. People hugging her, kissing her hair, and crying with her. Happy tears.

The dreams were always so warm… comforting… and filled with so much _love?_ It was ridiculous to even think about it, but Glimmer couldn’t find any other words that fit.

 _I love you, too_.

She remembered the person’s deep and tender voice, one that she now knows was of a man’s, whisper against her ear. Ghostly touches of someone tracing the lines on her face lovingly.

The feeling in her chest continued to expand and expand until it felt like it was taking up her lungs by the way it made her so breathless. 

The overwhelming feeling of being so loved and loving just as intensely. It would remain with her even after every rude awakening by her alarms when she would snap her eyes open and realize it was all just a dream. And she would sometimes lay still, letting the tears drop when the sensation of _losing_ something, of _missing_ something continued to eat at her from the inside.

How could dreams do that? Make her yearn and mourn for something that didn’t exist.

Suddenly, her bed or the floor if she fell on it just like today, would feel _too_ cold. And her skin would start craving touches that she had _never_ experienced before. Her hair felt limp without fingers running through them.

At the same time, her fingertips would tingle with the need to touch _something_. Someone. Her lips desperate to meet those plump ones she’d see in her dreams. Lips that were always curved in the happiest and most charming smile Glimmer could ever remember seeing.

But she didn’t even have a face to associate all of that with. She would always wake up before she could get a proper glimpse of him.

“If you’re tired of being single,” Glimmer muttered irritatedly to herself, aggressively wiping the tears that continued to flow down her cheeks to the carpet under her. “You could manifest it more nicely! Because this is just shitty and mean.”

Her phone began to ring incessantly and Glimmer suddenly remembered.

“Oh shit! Adora’s project!” Glimmer scrambled to her feet and took her phone. 

100 messages. 55 missed calls.

What the fucking hell...

Glimmer could feel the stress creep into her veins like a vine. It was double the usual messages she would get in the morning. She hated her life! Everyone always wanted something from her almost every second of every day!

The call dropped before she could answer it, and so Glimmer began to scroll through her messages instead. 10 from her mother, okay, that was manageable. 17 from her father, Glimmer grunted. They were literally on the same campus and she saw him _every day!_ What could he possibly want that would warrant 17 messages?!

8 messages from her mother’s secretary, Juliet. She groaned. It was too early to read these for sure. Another 15 from the Heiress alliance or the group chat of nine young heiresses that would undoubtedly become as stressed as their parents when they finally inherit their respective companies and had therefore become a support group to each other during social business gatherings.

She’d read that later. No doubt it was mostly Mermista complaining about her fiance, the daredevil slash arsonist. Glimmer was definitely not in the mood for that. 8 from the university council. Wow, that was fairly few. She’d check on that later too.

11 from Catra, understandable. Glimmer was already late, that was about expected.

31 messages from Adora alone. 

Her best friend fucking blew up her phone! And messages were still coming in.

_Where are you?_

_WAKE UP!_

_We said to come here an hour earlier!_

_Did you hear Catra’s alarm?_

_How could you not?!_

_Are you dead?_

_Hey, are you alive?_

And then the phone call came, Glimmer answered it.

“Fucking finally! Adora is freaking out because you’re the only one still not here and we’re starting in half an hour!” Catra’s voice boomed out of her speakers.

“I told you I didn’t want to participate!” Glimmer complained through gritted teeth, voice shrill as she stumbled through her room and rummaged through her closet. “It is vile that you would use the favour I owed you for this! It is _disgusting!_ ”

Catra scoffed. “ _You’re_ the one always complaining about how you’re so sick of third-wheeling us—”

“Glimmer!” Adora’s frantic voice boomed through the speakers the same time Glimmer heard Catra’s affronted ‘Hey!’

“Please, please, _please,_ tell me you’re on the way!”

“Uhhh…” 

“GLIMMER!”

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes I fucking swear, and I’m sorry for being late! I know this is important to you,” Glimmer rambled as she sprinted to the bathroom, almost tripping over a pile of clothes on the floor. “I slept in! But I’ll be there on time even if I have to teleport myself to the other side of campus!”

She turned the shower on, putting her phone on speaker mode. 

“ARE YOU TAKING A SHOWER?” Adora screeched from the other line. “Just get your ass over here! Forget about the shower!”

“NO!” Glimmer undressed, throwing her clothes by the door, and went under the spray of water. “I am not going there without at least making myself look presentable!”

“Glimmer, for god’s sake,” she hears Adora rant on the line. “You take forever to get ready! Why is she like this? This is why Angella wanted us to be roommates together because you can’t be trusted to take care of yours—”

Glimmer groaned, marching towards her phone on the bathroom counter in her state of undress. She rolled her eyes at the phone. “Bye, Adora! I’ll be there in 10 minutes!”

“Glimm—”

There. Now, where were all those beauty products her mom insisted on sending her?  
  


&  
  


20 minutes had already passed since then. And they were starting in 10.

Bow had just finished checking the equipment for the filming. Okay, white backdrop in position. Chill background music, check. Studio lights, check. Cameras, check. 

Lapel microphones… not checked. They were still missing one more person.

Bow looked around the small studio set. Adora and Catra had gathered around 6 volunteers for their crew; most of them making sure that the 20 participants wouldn’t see each other. Bow didn’t know how they made it happen, but they were successful at it. Bow hadn’t seen any of them besides himself since he arrived an hour ago.

He walked towards where Adora and Catra were huddled in a corner.

Catra was distracting the panicking woman who was pacing back and forth.

“Hey guys, everything’s set. Anytime you’re ready,” he gave them the thumbs up.

Adora seemed to snap out of it momentarily as she approached him, taking his hand. “Hey Bow, I really _really_ appreciate you helping us out. You volunteered as a participant and now, you’re practically part of the crew, too! I promise to repay you—”

Bow laughed. “Hey, come on. I’m enjoying myself! And besides, that’s what friends are for, right?”

Adora looked absolutely touched by the gesture, adoration and gratefulness practically oozing out of her expression, which made Bow laugh again.

“Yeah, Crop Top,” Catra said, using his nickname that she had given him since they met at the start of the semester. “You’re like the best classmate ever. I mean it and it’s the last time you’ll ever hear it.”

Bow cooed. “Aww, you guys, Best Classmates Squad,” he laughed, opening his arms and beckoning the two for a hug. Adora gladly nestled into one side while Catra reluctantly surrendered herself on the other.

So far, Bow thinks the best thing that happened to him in his freshman college year was meeting these two. Last semester hadn’t exactly been lonely for him though. He had Entrapta and Sea Hawk as classmates after all. They were a weird trio, but they got along well. It’s just that the other two had the habit of going off on their own and Bow was exactly the clingy type.

Then, he had met these two in almost four of his classes this semester. They had immediately clicked and become practically inseparable in the classroom.

They only just recently started hanging out during meal times and have study sessions together, but Bow already thinks it’s the start of a beautiful and lasting friendship.

Adora’s phone began to ring and she pulled away from the hug quickly, answering it. “Glimmer! You’re here? Thank god! Where are you? Okay, I’m going there. Don’t move! Why? Well, you can’t see the other participants! Just, DON’T MOVE!”

Adora had rambled it all out as she almost breathlessly hurried outside of the studio set. Catra sighed, shaking her head. 

“Hey, you’ll finally get to meet Glimmer,” Catra realized, nudging him.

Glimmer. Bow rolled her name in his mind. It was such an odd name. He had heard her pop up enough times in Catra and Adora’s stories but had never gotten the chance to meet her. It always seemed like this other friend was busy or attending some event, says the other two anyway. 

Bow had the impression that they really adored her though. But other than that, he didn’t know anything about her. Not even what she looked like or her major.

Bow guesses that if he wants to be part of Catra and Adora’s circle then he’d have to win over this Glimmer person too.

He suddenly felt nervous. “You think she’ll like me?”

“If I can like you,” Catra snickered. “Then there’s no way Sparkles wouldn’t.”

It was the nickname Bow learned to associate with Glimmer. He had found it amusing the first time he heard it, probably because it was a pun to her name.

Adora suddenly burst into the room. “Alright!” The panicked woman was now gone and the enthusiastic Adora was back. She clapped her hands and turned to the other crew in the room. “Let’s get this show on the road!”

Bow took a deep breath and looked at himself in one of the big mirrors one last time. Yeah, what was he even worried about? He always looked good.  
  


&  
  


“Okay, bring in the last partners!” Adora called out from her director’s chair. “Finally, this nightmare is almost over.”

Catra sat beside her on her own chair. “I didn’t think seeing 20 strangers kissing would be so entertaining though,” she snickered, remembering how each partnered couple had varying levels of awkwardness and forwardness before they began to make out and that was all thrown out the window. It was endearing to see the connection seemingly spark or wither between them with just a simple makeout session. 

Catra looked over as the opposing doors of the studio opened when the last couple entered. Her eyes lit up in recognition. Oh, it was finally Sparkles and… Crop Top?

She raised her eyebrow and then immediately turned to her girlfriend suspiciously. The taller blonde woman was practically giddy and bouncing on her feet, the impish smirk on her face barely concealed.

Catra groaned. “This reeks of a set-up.”

Adora scoffed, feigning innocence before she dropped the whole act when she saw her girlfriend’s deadpan expression. “Okay! So I may have manipulated the partnering so they’d end up together. What? Big deal! It’s a good icebreaker since we want Bow as part of our squad anyway.”

Catra rolled her eyes at the term. _Squad_. It sounded so juvenile.

“And if they… you know,” Adora smirked. “Get along _really_ well together, then Glimmer gets to be happy! And come on, don’t tell me you don’t approve of Bow?”

Catra looked at the two who had still yet to take their blindfolds off on either side of the room. She wasn’t exactly above matchmaking for her childhood friend, but if Catra was going to see Glimmer end up with anyone, she’d like it to be with someone like Bow.

She nudged Adora’s arm, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. Sometimes, her girlfriend’s gut feeling with these things impressed her, although she can be quite dense occasionally.

“You’re hopeless,” Catra rolled her eyes. “And yeah… I think Crop Top can handle Sparkles really well.”  
  


&  
  


“Okay, we’re filming! Five, four…” Adora’s voice faded out as she gestured the remaining three numbers with her fingers.

The blindfold was taken off and Bow had to squint in the bright light of the studio. The first thing his eyes zoomed in on was a clump of pink hair, and the wind was immediately knocked out of him. His heart jumping abruptly against his chest, it was almost painful. 

This wasn’t one of his dreams, wasn’t it?

He blinked a couple of times until his vision adjusted and he could take a proper look at the smaller woman. She was shielding her eyes from the light as well.

Her pink hair was parted on one side in a messy and wavy bob cut. It was dyed, but it looked so soft and luscious that Bow wouldn’t even be surprised if it was natural. On the underside, tufts of purple peeked out.

The shade… It was so familiar and particular. He’d know; it’s the same one he has seen so many times in his dreams. It was such a beautiful shade, and under the bright studio lights, it almost seemed to sparkle.

His fingers twitched as if those strands were calling to him, and he suddenly had the desperate urge to run them through her hair. Bow gripped his sweatpants instead.

Okay, Bow, stop being weird.

He took a deep breath. He had to get these dreams in check, it was starting to affect even his waking hours; now, he can’t even disassociate the colour pink from them!

When the smaller woman finally lifted her head to meet his gaze, Bow flashed her a wide grin that he hoped was charming.  
  


&  
  


Glimmer internally groaned. It took a while for her to adjust to the bright light. Adora was so stupid with these blindfolds; they were so unnecessary! It’s not like you know these strangers anyway, so what was the blindfold even for?

Like, surprise! Look at this person that you don’t know anyway!

And of course, participants would be blinded when they transitioned from the darkness to these blinding lights! Glimmer blinked a couple more times, shielding her eyes with her palm. She felt herself tense up when she saw a set of feet stand in front of her.

Shit. She was really going to do this. She was going to full-on make out with a stranger.

_Okay, shit. Calm down, Glimmer. You agreed to this. They didn’t force you, although it did slightly feel like coercion on Catra’s part. But come on, it’s just a kiss. You’ve done it before, and others have said you’re pretty good at it._

When Glimmer’s eyes could finally take the lights, she raised her head to smile at the other person only to be blinded once again. In front of her was perhaps the brightest smile Glimmer had ever seen in her life. It made her eyes hurt.

“That is the prettiest smile ever,” she mumbled thoughtlessly, squinting. 

The taller boy gave her a hearty and boyish laugh, and it was only then that Glimmer realized she had said the words out loud. She blushed, definitely because she just made a fool of herself and not because her heart skipped a beat when he smiled and laughed so prettily at her.

Why was it suddenly so hot in here? 

“I love your pink hair,” he said, still with that bright smile as he stared at her hair almost wistfully.

The longer Glimmer gazed up at the grin on his face, the more she felt like she had seen it somewhere before.

Something about it was so familiar and comforting… just like in her dream—Okay, don’t think about that now, stupid. But it was too late, the tightness in her chest that was so familiar to her every morning was already back.

Glimmer ran her fingers through her locks. “Yeah, thanks, I love this shade.” 

“I love it too,” he grinned even wider if that was even possible. Catra should’ve told her to bring sunglasses.

“Uh, I love…” Glimmer looked at him for something else to compliment just to lift the tension in the air, and as she let her gaze run down his outfit, Glimmer inwardly approved. He had a great fashion sense, and that crop top was doing wonders for his abs. 

Oh gosh, she’s staring at it. Glimmer, stop it!

“...your abs,” Glimmer heard the words come out of her mouth before she could even stop herself. She clenched her eyes and silently groaned. “I-I mean, I love everything about you. Okay, wait, that’s not better, ugh!” she mumbled, now hiding her red face behind her palms.

He laughed cheerfully again, rubbing his neck almost adorably.

His laugh… She thinks she’s heard it before but that’s impossible! This is the first time Glimmer has met him or she would remember otherwise. The only thing that came close was—Okay, those dreams were starting to do a number on her. She needs to stop associating them to this guy. They were completely unrelated.

“Glad you think so,” The taller boy said, without a hint of smugness, “It wouldn’t be so hard to kiss each other then, right? Since I think I love everything about you too.”

Oh my god, she was starting to melt. Who was this person and why was he someone straight out of her dreams, quite _literally_ ?  
  


&  
  


It was almost like this pink-haired angel was straight out of Bow’s dreams. Both in the literal and metaphorical sense.

Had he ever met such a pretty and endearing person before? No, he doesn’t think so. She was definitely not something Bow expected to find today out of all days.

When she began thinking out loud, blushing, Bow decided in a snap that he liked her. And it wasn’t just because of the pink hair but because the girl’s expressions were so… genuine! And Bow loved people like that who wore their hearts on their sleeves.

The slight staring at his abs was also flattering. Not that Bow hadn’t been staring at her face in equal lengths of time, but the woman might’ve been too flustered to notice. He already loved everything about her and he didn’t think that was possible with someone you just met. 

She was wearing a diamond choker, a purple halter top that disappeared under a denim skater skirt and a pastel bomber jacket that was wrapped around her waist. 

They must’ve looked like a fashionable pair. Why did he love the idea of that so much? 

One to be open with his thoughts, Bow didn’t hesitate to admit, “Glad you think so. It wouldn’t be so hard to kiss each other then, right? Since I think I love everything about you too.”

She turned absolutely redder than she already was and Bow couldn’t stop his heart from swelling even if he tried.  
  


&  
  


“Are they flirting?” Adora whispered as the interesting conversation unfolds before them. Who knew watching your two friends act like dorks around each other would be so fun?

She and Catra hadn’t stopped snickering since the two had removed their blindfolds. It had become very apparent from the start that there was a level of physical attraction there, what with the blatant staring they both did. 

When Glimmer began to run her mouth as she so often did when flustered, Adora and Catra positively had a hard time keeping their laughter quiet. They were going to tease her so much about this later on. That one about his abs was golden.

 _Then,_ they began outrightly flirting with each other and Adora almost couldn’t believe her eyes _and_ ears.

“Glad you think so. It wouldn’t be so hard to kiss each other then, right? Since I think I love everything about you too.”

Oh damn. Adora doesn’t think she’s heard Bow talk like that in that soft and tender tone. “They _are_ flirting!” She gushed, almost jumping in excitement.

Catra gripped her arm and settled her down before she began distracting the two. “This is going almost _too_ well. Are you sure they don’t know each other?”

“Yes!” Adora whispered excitedly. “It’s happening. Catra, my ship is sailing!”

“I didn’t even know you shipped them.” 

“This is going to be great! Our best friend and our potential best friend are getting together, and we can have sooo many double dates—” 

Catra chuckled affectionately. “Okay, Adora. Don’t get carried away. Nothing has even happened yet.”

“Uh, do we just start kissing… or?” came Glimmer’s awkward question as she looked behind the camera to the momentarily distracted director.

Adora cleared her throat, acting normally. “Yep, just start kissing whenever you’re ready.”  
  


&  
  


Revealing herself from behind her palms, she laughed in response to what he said. The sound travelled to Bow’s ears and intensified the tightness in his chest.

That laugh was unmistakable. He has heard that laugh so many times in his dreams that he can’t confuse it with anyone else's. It sounded like glitter and happiness, and Bow absolutely loved it. 

He thought seeing her smile was already beautiful but her laughter was even more breathtaking. It was like she was literally sparkling. He unknowingly wet his lips, suddenly feeling as if he’ll suffocate if he doesn't get to taste the flavour of that laugh on her lips.

He sees her follow the movement, throat bobbing slightly as she swallows.

“Okay, smooth guy,” She gave him a shy smirk, then turned to the two behind the camera, “Uh, do we just start kissing… or?” 

“Yep, just start kissing whenever you’re ready.”

This was it. He was excited and nervous at the same time. Bow doesn’t remember ever feeling this way with just kissing anyone. It was such a normal gesture. But why was it that right at that moment, seconds away from kissing this captivating girl, it felt like Bow had been waiting for it his entire life?

“Here goes,” She smiled up at him, shyly. 

Bow held out his hand to her, an eyebrow raised, asking for her permission. Biting her lip, she nodded with a smile and took them. He could feel his breath hitch as he finally felt her smooth and warm palm slink into his own. 

Standing on her tiptoes, waiting for him to meet her, she looked up at him expectantly with almost twinkling eyes. She was so pretty, it was almost criminal.

Gently, he pulled her closer by her hand so he could wrap his arms around her waist, supporting her as she tried to reach his height. Bow tried to stop thinking about how soft and warm she felt in his arms. Tried to stop thinking of what it reminded him of. His heart was beating so fast.

In turn, the woman wrapped her hands on the back of his neck to keep him steady as he leaned down.

Their noses met in that intimate space between their faces. Their anticipating lips hovering inches from each other. They stared into the other’s gaze for a minute before her eyes fluttered closed. 

Bow couldn’t get rid of the nagging thought in his head. The one that told him how right it felt to have her there, this stranger that he knew absolutely nothing about. 

When he moved to close the gap, Bow caught a whiff of her fragrance. A sweet, vanilla scent, that brought him back to his bed, and suddenly, he couldn’t take it anymore. In a split second, he finally captured her lips with intent. 

God. She tasted just like how he imagined. Chocolates and sugar, so addicting that Bow was pulled into the kiss deeper before he could even think of it. She moaned against his kiss and Bow searched her mouth for more of the sound. 

Why did it feel like he was made to kiss her? Just who was this person supposed to be?  
  


&  
  


A little shiver travelled from where her fingertips touched his hand down to the length of her spine. Glimmer found it endearing that he was still asking permission to kiss her as if that wasn’t the entire purpose of this project in the first place.

When he pulled her to him by her hand, gently but still firmly, it was like he had swept her off her feet. His arms wrapped around her instantly the moment she got close, and Glimmer couldn’t ever remember feeling so secure and comfortable and _just_ right in someone’s embrace.

Like magnets, her arms reached out and she laid her hands at the back of his neck and on his jawline. His skin was so soft and warm, and he felt strong under her fingertips.

Their noses met, gazing at each other for a moment. The look on his eye proved to be too much for her, and so she closed them and waited for him to come. 

In those few seconds, it felt like she was on the peak of a rollercoaster ride, both excited and charged with nerves, waiting for the drop to come that will pull her entire being along with it.

And it did. She gasped when he came and took her breath away. A whirlwind of emotions and a mess of thoughts ran through her mind as she let him lead the kiss. He started slowly; their lips meeting—soft, like cushions—before he went deeper, taking her mouth captive as if he had found something desirable in them.

Glimmer caught a whiff of his scent. Fresh mint, a musky hint of leather and the sweet, calming accents of cedarwood. She moaned, clenching her eyes shut. No, no. This was unreal. This was just her mind playing tricks on her. 

And yet she felt safe… and warm. And this was much better than any dream she’s ever had. Because this was real, and so was he. 

She had to pull away to let oxygen into her clearly hazy mind, had to take a moment to think straight. Glimmer felt him chase her lips for a second before he just let them rest together, slightly touching. Their laboured breaths mingling until Glimmer’s sure that it’s him she’s breathing in. 

Her lips tingled; odd that she suddenly felt empty the second they broke apart. Why did it feel like that? She didn’t think too much into it. Instead, she reconnected their open mouths, finding whatever it was she was searching for on the tip of his tongue.  
  


&  
  


_I love you. I love you._

The voice of the woman in his dreams earlier echoed into his mind as they kissed. Bow felt it again in his chest, the hollow sensation of feeling like he lost something, that an important piece of him was forever missing. The confusion and hopelessness of not knowing what that piece was or where to find it or if there was even a chance to.

But whatever emptiness settled inside him was steadily filled in by this woman’s lips. She traced words he couldn’t understand on the inside of his mouth, but he heard them all the same. 

Nostalgia, contentment… and God forbid his ridiculous mind, that feeling that resembled _love_ so much hit him all like a freight train, like strikes of lightning that were so fleeting yet shook him to his core. 

And it kept coming, again and again—with every time they broke apart to breathe only to meet and steal that breath away again. 

When the fleeting kisses turned into toe-curling ones that manifested in his whole being—manifested in the slight tremble of his fingers as he finally ran them through her soft hair. In his gasping breath that chased after her every move. In the electricity that surged through him in all the places that they touched. In the loud heartbeat against his eardrums that rivalled the soft moans of the woman pressed against him. In his mind that was consumed by everything about her. Absolutely everything.

It was like they were dancing. A dance that they both knew so well, memorized like a practised routine, to an age-old tune that has been sung a thousand times before. His instincts flew off the hinges as it took control of him. They broke apart and met perfectly. They turned their heads in sync, touching each other in the right places. 

It was like they had always known how to do this. Yet, it was their first kiss. 

_Was it?_

God, if this was a dream, don’t let him wake up from it ever again. Because Bow thinks… that he just _finally found her_ . _Again_ . Whatever that meant.  
  


&  
  


Glimmer thinks it’s him, and that finally, _fucking finally,_ she has found _him_. After all these years. Whatever that meant.

When her skin tingles and craves for his touch, his hands would find them and soothe her, as if he just knew. When her mind spiralled with all the overwhelming things about him—the soft moans he makes, his light and firm touches, his intoxicating scent—he would press featherlight kisses repeatedly onto her lips, as if telling her to breathe. When her need became too strong and she felt desperate to feel him again, he’d surge into her like a crashing wave and sweep her away into unknown waters.

It was like he knew her. And it was like she knew him. And yet, who even were they?

 _I love you, too_.

She heard in her head. The words of that phantom person in her dream that broke her heart since the moment she woke up this morning. Why could she now hear it in his voice?

The longing, emptiness and yearning that stayed with her all day felt like they were slowly mended, filled in with his every touch and every kiss.

Was she just desperate for someone? Or was this all real? 

_Please, don’t let this be a dream._

Glimmer tightened her hold onto him the same moment her heart began to hurt. She pulled this man to her until there was virtually no space between them. As if any less and he’d disappear and take with him the part of her that she has just reclaimed.

No. She won’t wake up this time. Not when it finally felt so real.  
  


&  
  


 _Why do I feel like I know you_?

Bow thought. The feeling in his chest so intense and consuming that it was like his lungs had caved in. He pulled away from her only to begin placing light kisses on her cheeks, on the tip of her nose, on her forehead. He hears her soft whimpers, her hard breathing, and loves them.  
  


&  
  


_Why do I feel like I know you?_

Glimmer thought. He broke the kiss without warning, and it felt like he reached into her chest and ripped her heart. _No, wait, don’t go, not yet_. Her mind grasped at the edges, chasing after him. Hands clutching onto his jacket to keep him there, to keep him from suddenly disappearing, before he eased her worries with tender kisses onto her cheeks. On her nose. On her forehead.

Like he has done a thousand times before.

Wait, what? No. They just met. What was she thinking?  
  


&  
  


 _Do I know you_?

They both thought, and they broke apart. Wide-eyed and breathless, they tried to search for answers in each other’s eyes. But all they saw were the tears.

The instant connection, the world they had been trapped in just seconds ago, had momentarily vanished as they finally saw the tears running down the other’s face before they realized their own.  
  


&  
  


Catra and Adora stared at the couple, slightly gaping and utterly flabbergasted.

“What the fuck is happening…” Adora heard Catra mumble from beside her.

They had long abandoned their chairs and came closer to their two friends. At first, they had merely been amusedly watching them. It started like any normal kiss between two people who were obviously attracted to each other.

Adora had giddily danced as she gave her girlfriend a triumphant look. A great kiss was a good sign they were interested in each other. And since they were both Catra and Adora’s friends, they were inevitably going to spend time together. In Adora’s head, it was already a done deal.

Catra had merely rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face betrayed her real thoughts.

But then, the kiss went on. It went on and on. 

Unlike the previous partners who shared a deep kiss that lasted for a minute, then went for another and stopped after, Adora’s jaw dropped when her two friends just unabashedly went into a full and prolonged make-out session. 

No one could even interrupt them because they had all been too focused on watching it unfold. They kissed and touched each other as if their life depended on it. Like they were lost in their own world, and the rest of them were left to marvel at it. 

When the tears began to appear, mingling in between their kisses, Adora and Catra shared a surprised and worried look. Bow then began placing kisses onto Glimmer’s face as the latter pressed their foreheads together, eyes clenched almost painfully as if opening them would make him disappear.

Adora and Catra watched their friends, mesmerized and confused within an inch of their life. That was _definitely_ not a kiss shared between strangers. 

The pining in their expressions, the desperation in their body language, the _longing_? What the hell was going on? Adora found herself echoing her girlfriend. 

The tension and atmosphere between them were so emotionally charged that Adora would be fooled if someone said this project was actually about exes kissing again. Did… Did something happen between them she didn’t know about? Because whatever just happened there… It felt like that had a _history_. 

And they _were crying! Wh-why?!_

Adora felt herself panic. Oh my god. Did they feel violated by the project? What was wrong? Why were they tearing up?

Then the kissing stopped and the magic spell seemed to break as the two stared at each other and recognized the wet substances running down the other’s face that seemed to snap them back to reality.

Bow was the first to speak. His voice hoarse, and slightly cracking.

“Oh my god, you’re crying!” He pointed out. 

Glimmer gasped, touching her cheeks, confused. “Oh my god, I _am_ crying,” she said in disbelief. “Why am I crying? Why are _you crying_? Was it bad?”

Bow blinked his eyes and felt another tear fall. Why _was he_ crying? He frantically wiped his cheeks. What is happening?!

“No! It was perfect!” he blushed a bit. “But did I hurt you? Were you uncomfortable? What’s wrong, please tell me,” he rambled, panicking, not sure whether he could still touch her to comfort her.

“Nothing, you did nothing wrong!” Glimmer panicked. “I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me. Ah, shit!” she groaned exasperatedly as more tears began to fall. “Why can’t I stop crying?! What the fuck is happening!”

Bow’s eyes were still wet with tears, but he had already focused on how the seemingly shy and charming girl was now spewing curse words like it was her only vocabulary. And yet to him, her sweet voice made everything that came out of it seemingly honeyed, no matter how vulgar.

It made Bow laugh as he gently wiped his tears.

Glimmer turned to him, eyes still glistening. When she found that endearing grin back on his face, relief flooded into her that he hadn’t found the whole situation weird or off-putting.

And then, she joined him, laughing as well. Nothing was particularly funny. But it felt silly, the moment they just shared as two strangers. And most of all, Glimmer was _happy_ for some reason.

Bow stepped into her space again, still giggling as he tenderly wiped away her tears. She let him, not knowing why she was allowing this stranger to touch her with so much intimacy and why exactly she was leaning into his palm.

“I realized I don't know your name yet,” Bow chuckled, hand still on her cheek. “I’m Bow.”

Glimmer giggled; it sounded loud in the silence of the studio. 

“Hi Bow,” She grinned beautifully. “I’m Glimmer.”  
  


&  
  


Oh my god, she was _Glimmer_ . _The_ Glimmer that Bow was supposed to win over.

Well... it’s not like he failed at that. He made quite the first impression, that was for certain. 

Bow stared at her wide-eyed, and suddenly their connection felt a hundred times more real. This wasn’t just any stranger. She was Catra and Adora’s friend.

And he liked her. _Liked_ liked her.

The heavy emotions that bloomed earlier as they kissed still weighed in his chest, and he was just about to do something about it when Adora barged in, effectively destroying their little bubble.

Oh right…. He remembered. They were in a studio. For a moment, it felt like the world had just closed in on both of them.

Bow took a moment to gaze around at the other inhabitants of the room and found that they were all looking at them speechlessly, in varying degrees of shock and confusion. He flushed.

If their kiss looked as it had felt for him, they must’ve put on quite a show. Because it had been intense, and for Bow, probably, the best kiss he has ever had yet.

“Glimmer!” Adora was suddenly beside her best friend. Catra followed closely behind her but went to check on Bow instead. “Oh my gosh, you should’ve just said that you didn’t want to do this!”

“Wh-what?” Glimmer frowned. 

“I wouldn’t have forced you! I’m so sorry!” Adora engulfed her in a bear hug.

“Wait, Adora,” the smaller woman grunted. “Hold on. You didn’t force me into anything!”

“Then did Bow hurt you?” Adora threw him a glare that made the boy in question slightly cower. The blonde woman was smaller than him but those muscles could definitely send him into a world of pain.

“No! Bow was great! I loved him!” Seemingly realizing what she just said, Glimmer turned red, glancing at him for a split second to see his reaction. The pleased grin on his face seemed to be all the reassurance she needed.

“Then why the tears?!” 

“We… we got carried away? It was a bit intense...” Glimmer answered unsurely, not sure herself.

Bow felt an elbow nudge his side and he tore his gaze from the pink-haired woman to the brunette beside him.

“Hey, you good?” Catra asked casually.

Bow nodded, a wide smile on his face. He looked towards Glimmer and saw her groan as she tried to calm down a very worried Adora. At the sight of her, his heart skipped a beat. “Yeah… Never been better.”

Catra looked taken aback by his answer before she flashed him a knowing smirk. “Told you she’d like you.”  
  


&  
  


Afterwards, Adora swept Glimmer away from the other two to check if she was truly alright in private. Glimmer had to reassure her for about a dozen times before Adora looked at least a little bit convinced.

Then they were pulled into a final meeting with the crew where Adora and Catra thanked the participants, explained the next part of the filming process, and then gave them gifts as a show of gratitude, as well as snacks and drinks they could indulge in for a job well done.

All throughout the speech, Glimmer kept meeting Bow’s gaze across the room. She found out that he’s close with Catra and Adora, and was actually the person she kept on hearing about in the two’s classroom stories. The name just never sank in with her. Now, Glimmer thinks she isn’t going to forget him anytime soon.

When the crowd had dispersed, she lost sight of him momentarily and it made her slightly panic. She went outside the studio and almost bumped into him in the hallway.

Glimmer chuckled, feeling her chest immediately tighten at his sudden proximity. 

“Found you.”

They both said at the same time, staring at each other for a second before chuckling.

“That’s so weird,” Glimmer heaved under her breath, an unwavering smile on her face. “You were looking for me?” 

“Yeah… Uh, wait, you were looking for me too?” Bow said, that boyish grin back on his face. He was so handsome, probably the only boy ever to immediately catch her attention.

Glimmer nodded, rubbing her neck a bit awkwardly. She couldn’t fully look at his face, remembering all too well the sensation of having him pressed so close to her.

“Uh, yeah. I just… wanted to ask you about earlier,” she blushed, and she could see that along with Bow’s comfortable grin, his cheeks were dusted pink as well. “You know when we kissed and just sort of teared up out of nowhere.”

They both laughed at the memory. 

“Uh… Why did you? It’s not because I was a bad kisser, am I?”

Bow shook his head passionately. “No, no way. Did we share the same kiss? Because that was,” he stuttered, grinning bashfully. “It was woaaah.”

Glimmer giggled. “Yeah, it _was_ woaaah.”

God, they couldn’t stop smiling at each other. Glimmer felt the strain of it on her cheeks but there was just no stopping it.

“I—” He took a deep breath. “I don’t know why I teared up. I just got this… _feeling_ in my chest. It was a bit emotional.”

Glimmer’s eyes widened. “You too?”

“You felt it too?” Bow took a step closer to her.

“Yeah. It was… It was,” Glimmer frowned, struggling to find the words before she just shook her head. “Nah, this is weird. I can’t believe this. I mean, we don’t even know each other,” her voice took on a more frustrated tone, before it deflated and she gave him an unsure look, “Yet… it feels like we do? Or is that just me?”

Bow could feel the emotions rise to his chest again as the moment they shared earlier and what it felt for him was suddenly validated. So he wasn’t going crazy. It wasn’t just a trick of the mind.

 _She_ experienced it as much as _he_ did. What did that even mean?

“No, definitely not just you. It’s the same for me,” Bow chuckled wistfully, voice soft. “Why does it feel like that?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

Another step closer. They stared into each other’s eyes. Bow offered his hand again and Glimmer hesitantly took it before firmly gripping it into her own. There it was again. Fulfilment.

“I don’t know if this is too much information,” he began. “But I’ve been having these dreams—”

“Dreams?!” Glimmer exclaimed, abruptly pulling him closer to her until they were so close, Bow would only have to lean down to kiss her again. She was wide-eyed, hopeful. “Oh my god, you’ve been having them too?”

Bow blinked. “You mean... you’re having them too?”

“I don’t know if we’re talking about the same thing,” Glimmer rambled. “But yes, I’ve been having these really weird dreams, like memories of someone else's, and you’re ther—” she backtracked. “Yeah, those dreams. For the longest time, I thought something was wrong with me!”

Bow laughed. Oh god, what was happening? Whatever this was is weird, confusing and so unreal, and yet it also felt like everything was finally falling perfectly into place. Like all of it made perfect sense.

“Do you… do you want to talk about this over coffee? This is the weirdest meeting I’ve ever had with anyone in my life and I feel like I owe you a drink now,” Bow shot an arrow and just asked, even if his heart was pounding nervously. He saw her face light up in a beautiful grin that Bow swore made her sparkle, and he instantly knew he made the right aim.

Glimmer giggled. “I would love to. But why do I get the feeling you hate coffee? Like you’re a hot chocolate kind of guy.”

“Okay, weird. How did you know that?” Bow laughed as he led the way outside the building, arm-in-arm with Glimmer.

She gasped. “No way! Okay, you try me.”

“Hmm. You love cake and ice cream. No, wait, even better, ice cream cake.”

“You’re absolutely right, but I don’t know if that’s a stereotype or a genuine guess.”

Bow’s laugh echoed in the hallway, followed by a giggle that he was steadily becoming addicted to. Why does he get the feeling… that this is the start of something beautiful?  
  


&  
  


Glimmer had stopped having those dreams.

And Bow hadn’t had any of them again since that day.

They no longer woke up to empty, cold beds, with the sinking feeling like half of them were missing. They no longer felt the ghost of phantom kisses and touches on their skins.

Instead, in the morning, they clung sleepily to the other warm body next to them and gave and received the same kisses and touches they had sought for all their life. Finally. It felt like they were _finally_ whole again.

Like they had finally found each other, _again,_ after seemingly a lifetime of searching. Whatever that even meant.

And they had fit together so perfectly. Like puzzle pieces that had finally found their place.


	2. What happens next

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yey, bonus chapter! A silly one where Glimbow's kiss becomes an internet sensation, and basically, the whole Etheria AU sees.

Catra and Adora were snickering as they looked at the computer screen; snickers that turned into laughter when they saw Bow’s anxious expression.

Glimmer was snuggled on his lap, attempting to soothe his worries with kisses on his cheek.

After Catra and Adora had uploaded their project, it had gone viral, particularly because of one captivating and emotional kiss that had won a lot of people’s hearts and curiosities. They became an internet sensation overnight, the number one trending topic in all of Etheria. 

It didn’t help that Glimmer was actually quite the social media influencer, what with being the Bright Moon’s heiress. That was enough to get the news articles, blogs and reaction vids started. When that did, the trending topics were suddenly filled with their names.

Bow was never one for pop culture and the celebrity life, and so it had been nerve-wracking for him to see so many people he didn’t know talking about them. It was also the reason why Bow didn’t know that his girlfriend was actually the daughter of Angella Bright.

And his two other friends and said girlfriend had  _ never _ even bothered to mention it! 

Apparently, it was the reason why Catra convinced the pink-haired heiress to participate in their kissing project so that it would immediately reach a wider audience. And wow, did it gain traction! 

The video now had more than a hundred million views. Fan accounts started springing up in every social media platform. Their couple pictures in Glimmer’s and his social media accounts gathering about a hundred thousand likes each. The number of their followers, especially Bow’s, bloated so much that the notifications had almost broken his phone. There were so many comments, tweets, and Bow didn’t know what else! His veil of anonymity had all but gone and now everyone was suddenly interested in his personal life.

And the ship names. God, the ship name. It had incited an online war on whether they should be called ‘Glimbow’ or ‘Glow.’ That day, Bow had a migraine that he wanted to convince himself was unrelated to the whole virtual chaos.

And that wasn’t even the thing that worried him the most.

“What did Angella say?” Adora asked Glimmer.

_ That _ was the thing that worried him the most. Glimmer’s parents had seen the whole kissing project video. 

The shorter girl sent him an apologetic look, kissing his cheek again. She had apologized to him about a hundred times now since this whole fiasco happened and he had reassured her every time that it was not, in any way, her fault.

It’s not her fault that she happened to be the heiress to an entire conglomerate and the daughter of Angella Bright and that he had fallen in love with her!

“Well…She was definitely interested in what happened next,” Glimmer started sheepishly, then caressed Bow’s head for the next part. “Bow… she also wants to invite you over for dinner? To meet them?” 

Bow made an anxious sound, hugging Glimmer closer for the reassurance it brought him as his mind panicked. He was going to meet Glimmer’s mom. Angella Bright! The owner of the company he had always dreamed of working in. 

And Angella Bright’s first impression of Bow was going to be a video of him making out profusely with her daughter!

“Bow,” Catra snickered. “Bow, do you realize something else?”

Adora flashed her a warning look. “Catra—”

“She’s also Dean Micah’s daughter.”

Double kill. That was also another thing that they had neglected to tell him!

Bow groaned loudly, burying his face in the crook of his girlfriend’s neck. Glimmer wrapped her arms around him, gently swaying their weight side-to-side.

“I’m sorry, Bow,” Glimmer said sympathetically. “It sucks that you’re his student.”

“His _ favourite  _ student,” Catra continued to tease.

Bow gave his girlfriend’s neck a reassuring peck before he hugged her tighter, letting the anxiety seep out of him in favour of her warmth.

“How did your dad react?” Adora asked, worriedly, knowing how Micah can get a bit protective with Glimmer.

“Yeah…” Glimmer laughed nervously. “Umm… Well, you’re right about Bow being his favourite student because well, he didn’t react as explosively as I expected him to. But still, seeing his daughter make out with someone in video form kinda rubbed him the wrong way, I think.”

Bow whined louder against her neck, his feet anxiously swaying. “This is going from bad to worse.”

“Uhh…Then you’re not going to like what I’m going to say next,” Glimmer said apologetically.

“As if there’s anything worse than being the boyfriend that sucked face with their daughter for the whole Etheria to see!” came Bow’s muffled whine from Glimmer’s neck.

“Sucked face? What are you, ten?” Catra teased, before getting elbowed by her girlfriend. “Ow, what?”

“You’re not helping!”

Glimmer was back to caressing Bow’s hair and neck. “So… anyway, my dad wanted me to tell you that you’re  _ not invited _ to dinner…” she trailed off.

Bow reappeared from her neck and gave his girlfriend a confused look. Okay, he felt both relieved and disappointed at that.

Glimmer smiled. “But rather, he said that your attendance at dinner is  _ mandatory _ .”

And now, Bow was terrified. His girlfriend’s dad just went full professor-mode on him.

He buried his face back into Glimmer’s shoulder, letting the girl’s laughter calm the erratic beating of his heart. 

“Wow, Bow. From laughing at his dad jokes to dating his daughter, that is a big bold leap.”

Adora glared at Catra. 

“I think I might have to skip his classes for the entire week. Maybe drop his course altogether.” He could already imagine how classes with Dean Micah were going to be like from now on. Hours of torture.

The trio laughed.

“Come on, Bow, don’t be ridiculous,” Adora said lightly. “They’re going to love you, okay? If they like even  _ Catra _ , then you’re going to be an angel to them.”

“Hey!”

Well, Bow supposes that’s true.

“And don’t worry Bow, they’ve both seen the video,” Glimmer added.

“How is that supposed to make me feel better?”

Glimmer takes his face between her hands. “ _ Because  _ they think that it was sweet and romantic. That it was love at first sight or whatever,” she rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face told him she loved the idea of it. “And they’re a sucker for that cheesy shit. But you know, they're parents, so they have to keep up with the whole shindig of being protective. But they’ll love you, I’m sure of it.”

Bow stared at her lovingly. He kissed her and momentarily felt all of his worries disappear. She was worth it. She was worth everything.

Bow could hear Adora gush and Catra fake-gag at the sight of them. They were used to it and besides, they didn’t exactly shy away from public displays of affection when they shared their first kiss with the rest of the country.

“I have one more problem, though,” Bow said seriously.

Glimmer caressed her thumb over his cheek. “What is it?”

“Is it Glow or Glimbow?”

The other three groaned.

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by that social experiment where 20 strangers kiss for the first time that was recommended to me by Youtube. So youtube algorithm, thanks, I guess.
> 
> I also have the tendency to blow up my word counts so this was supposed to be a short one but then, it's like 'hey, yeah ok, 10k it is.' Hope you guys liked it! I also drew the artwork for this fic, view it on my Tumblr @caramelaire.


End file.
